Lynette B. Corbeil, D.V.M., Ph.D.

Emeritus Professor of Population Health and Reproduction School of Veterinary Medicine UC, Davis

Former Co-Director, UCSD Veterinary Medical Center

D.V.M. - University of Toronto, Ontario Veterinary College

Ph.D. - Cornell University

Specialty: Immunology; Infectious Disease

Research Interests

Our laboratory focuses on microbial virulence factors and in mucosal immunity to infections of the respiratory and reproductive tracts. Both antigen specificity and characteristics of protective immune responses are under investigation. Studies of the sexually transmitted disease, trichomoniasis, have resulted in purification of a major protective surface antigen. Protective immune responses in the female genital tract have been defined and development of inductive sites for IgA responses in the genital tract were documented for the first time. Recent studies of trichomonad extracellular cysteine proteinases as virulence factors are promising. For bovine Histophilus somni repiratory tract infection, we have defined the roles of IgG2 allotypes in protection and defined protective immunity to several virulence factors. These include outer membrane proteins, lipooligosaccharide and a surface fibrillar network with immunoglobulin binding activity and a Fic containing domain that is cytotoxic for respiratory epithelial cells. The recombinant Fic domain was shown to protect mice and cattle against H. somni disease. Now we are studying viral/bacterial (BRSV/H. somni) synergyin respiratory disease and a new vaccine expression system.

Biography

Dr. Corbeil received her DVM degree from the Ontario Veterinary College, Univ. Toronto and her Ph.D. from Cornell University. She has held faculty positions at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis and School of Medicine, University of California San Diego. From 2002 – 2010, she was the Co-Director of the UC Veterinary Medical Center – San Diego, a joint program of UC Davis and UCSD. She retired in 2012 but returned to active duty in the Pathology Department at UCSD to continue her research in microbial pathogenesis and protective immunity.